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When I am engaged in managerial thought and decision-making, I often wonder if beef production is art or science? And is it good science or bad science or, perhaps good science poorly applied? Or, is it good art or bad art, or an attempt at good art that is poorly done?...More

The traditional approach for heifer development has been to shoot for 65% of mature body weight at breeding time in order to maximize pregnancy rate. Is maximum pregnancy rate really the goal, or is a more profitable herd the goal?...More

If the current forecasts for an El Niño weather pattern prove true, cattle will have cold, wet conditions to contend with this winter. Get your cattle feeding program ready to help your cowherd succeed....More

Despite all the reams of data and sophisticated modeling, and the acknowledgement that fundamentals eventually determine the price, in the short term, it is often fear and greed that rule the day....More

It’s a run like no other. Cattle prices are at record levels for all sectors, feed prices are down and drought has lifted — or at least eased — in much of the country outside the far West, most notably California....More

With cattle prices up and feed costs down, many producers outside the major drought areas are contemplating holding back additional replacement heifers from their 2014 calf crop. But what are the economics of doing so?...More

The contest is designed to help cattle producers better understand the relationship between cattle efficiency and profitability, and an important facet of the exercise will deal with the role of RFI....More

There’s at least a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us. We all, at times, don’t fully walk our talk, and that’s just plain human nature. Some hypocrisy is so subtle that it takes a bit of background knowledge and a little ruminating to appreciate, while other incidents slap you across the face with their immediate clarity....More

We have great tools; but, because of genetic and environmental antagonisms, I think we need to be satisfied with slow change in a balanced approach – maintaining or slowly improving genetics for cowherd productivity....More

Lots of good cattlemen believe there’s a trend taking place – that there’s something we’re doing from either a management or genetic standpoint that is increasing the health risk and susceptibility of larger-weight feedlot animals. Is it true? BEEF discusses....More

This year’s rapid price increases require each rancher to rethink his long-run business plan. Such profit opportunity comes around only one or twice in a rancher’s lifetime, and how one responds is critical to the long-run economic performance of the beef cowherd....More